Author Archives: Darcy Cronin

About Darcy Cronin

I'm a Mother/Coach/Blogger/Business Adventurer from Portland OR. My family consists of my Hubby of 12 years, our 8yo Kieran, 5yo Makenna, and 1yo Teagan. I love dreaming about a better future, and making it happen.

Benefiting

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Just a friendly reminder to turn in any flexible spending receipts by Sep 30th.  I know I should have really sent it in by July 1, but  I’m proud to say that I didn’t procrastinate to the 11th hour this year. I’m looking forward to my last sixty bucks being reimbursed.


As a follow-up on my post about Maxing Benefits, I have really been enjoying my flexing spending reimbursement credit card. It’s been as easy as I imagined, and I smile to myself every time I use it knowing that I’ve reduced my tedious paperwork.


Unfortunately, I’m home with my Big Guy for the second day of full blown strep throat. All night fevers are not my favorite way of expressing my motherly love. Sadly, any illness always reminds me of the true benefit I have of being able to take my kiddos to the doctor and buy insurance covered tax-free meds.


Do you feel grateful for your benefits?


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Sustainable Family Finances
The story of a family creating an abundant and sustainable life.

Treebate

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Some people are treehuggers, but I’m a genuine riverlover. So, I was excited to learn about a new “Love Your River” campaign, and will keep you posted about any family finance related actions.


I know not all of you are from Portland, but I want to share about “Treebates” that are available to plant trees: small $10, medium $20, large $50. This is a great incentive to plant trees to shade your home and watch grow with your family. As the saying goes, “the best time to plant a year was twenty years ago, the second best time is now!”


Here’s a fun little video about “50 Ways to Love Your River:”




How do you love your river?


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Sustainable Family Finances
The story of a family creating an abundant and sustainable life.

100% Organic

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I was sadly disturbed to learn how pesticide health impacts on kids are likely underestimated and reportedly linked to ADHD. 


I know that eating organic food is still considered to be a luxury, but I think the price is worth it. I sure remember feeling the pinch when I first had to put my money where my mouth was. In case you are still in the process of phases out “conventional” foods, use the dirty dozen as a starting point to eliminating pesticides from your family diet. 


We try to eat as close to 100% organic as possible, although with eating out we’re probably closer to 85-90%.  I love spud for organic grocery delivery.  


Do you buy organic? 
How much do you think it impacts your budget?


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Sustainable Family Finances
The story of a family creating an abundant and sustainable life.

New Fridge!

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Yes, I’m excited about our new fridge! Our estimated electricity with cost us   $43 a year, and our homemade pops won’t melt .


A few weeks ago I wrote about how our fridge was Melting Down, and thankfully we managed to buy a new one before anything catastrophic.


I found a great resource for choosing a green fridge, which helped compare many styles and features with energy efficiency. 


I shopped virtually before heading to the store, then I spoke with two different sales guys (most are paid by commission), and then I compared the deal online again after mostly making up my mind.


We ended up buying a Whirlpool Gold from Lowe’s. We got 10% off because another big box was having a sale, and got the price down to $1179. From my research, this was a really good price for a nice basic modern cooling unit.


Unfortunately, the freezer is a tad smaller and needs to be organized more efficiently, but that’s a different post…


Have you upgraded to an energy efficient refrigerator?


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Sustainable Family Finances
The story of a family creating an abundant and sustainable life.